Helpless to do anything but watch, Obi-Wan found that all of the anger and disgust he had released to the Force during his exile on Tatooine could not even compare to the red hot rage he currently felt. The cruelty of the Emperor was well known, but to witness it directly was devastating. The dying cries of the two young children still echoed through his mind, even as the storm troopers finished cleaning up their Master's handiwork.
As the last of the troopers exited the ebony-darkened room, the Emperor turned his full regard to his former nemesis. Reaching out a hand to lift the ex-Jedi Master's chin, Sidious smiled grimly. "Your anger is truly exquisite. It is a pity you will not turn. You could be truly powerful."
Unable to speak, Obi-Wan tried to convey his disgust with his gaze alone. Chuckling darkly, the Emperor released his hold on Obi-Wan's chin, watching delightedly as it fell limply against the Jedi's chest. "I will have to commend my physician on her excellent work. A paralyzing agent that still allows the recipient to remain fully conscious – remarkable."
Settling back into his throne, Sidious continued the one-sided conversation with the ex-Jedi sprawled at his feet. "Of course, if you had not insisted on attempting to lull both young rebels into a pain-free trance, I would not have had to resort to such measures." Sighing and resettling his robe around him more comfortably, the Emperor allowed a few moments to pass in his own silent contemplation.
"I must admit; I am intrigued by your attempts at compassion. Not with the compassion of course," he clarified, "but rather with your non-Force persuasion skills. It seems odd that a Jedi Knight would have use for such skills…"
Leaning forward, Sidious again lifted the Jedi's chin so that he could study the other's reaction. "It seems that there is much more to you than meets the eye, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Keeping his thoughts carefully blank, Obi-Wan tried to retreat again to the silent place in his mind; the place he had first created at Qui-Gon's death, and had expanded upon after Anakin's defection. He had been able to retreat there briefly during the Emperor's interrogation of the two young children, but some part of him would not allow him to escape indefinitely. Even if there was nothing he could do for either child, he could be there to witness their deaths and to bear mute testimony of the horrors they had both so bravely faced.
Now, though, there was nothing to keep him from escaping as far away from the Emperor as mentally possible. Dropping swiftly into the trance, he kept just enough notice of his body to feel the Emperor release his chin in disgust after the Sith's attempts to revive his attention failed. Feeling his chin drop again to his chest, Obi-Wan relaxed all but the lightest of connections to his physical self.
~~~
"We have to go back to Coruscant!" N'erak declared. "Obi-Wan will need us to help him escape."
"Need you, Obi-Wan will," Master Yoda acknowledged, as all of the other Council members seemed to defer to him. "But for now, another task we have for you. Safe here, the Skywalker girl is not. To Dagobah you must take her."
"But Master Yoda," Bant began, knowing that the Head of the Council was right to protect the child, but torn by her need to help her friend.
"Argue you will not!" Yoda interrupted, slamming his gimmer stick resoundingly on the floor. "To Dagobah you will go, and at Dagobah you will remain. Come to you, Obi-Wan will."
"He might need us," N'erak argued, only to be quelled by another thwack of the diminutive Master's cane.
"Interfere with his plan, you would," Yoda declared. "Capable Obi-Wan is, and trust in him you should."
Sharing a speaking glance, N'erak and Bant finally capitulated. Offering a bow to the remaining members of the Council, they hastily exited the makeshift chambers. Walking in silence until they had placed enough distance between themselves and the Councilors, Bant and N'erak slipped into an empty room, sealing the entrance behind them.
"Should we go after him?" Bant asked, almost before the doors had fully shut.
"I don't want to imagine Obi-Wan having to face the Emperor alone," N'erak began, taking a deep breath before he finished, "but I also don't want to risk disrupting any plans he might have. He is in the best position possible to do some real damage to the Empire."
Nodding slightly as she accepted N'erak's arguments, Bant sighed. "Do you think he will actually meet with us on Dagobah, or do you think that Master Yoda is merely keeping us from going after him?"
Running a hand through his hair, the young male Knight considered. "I think it is possible that he could escape…" he began, drawing on his own expertise in clandestine and dangerous missions.
"… But you don't think that is what he is planning," the Mon Calamarian healer finished, speaking her own secret fear.
Meeting her silvery eyes with his own piercing blue, N'erak nodded. "I don't think Obi-Wan would be able to guarantee the death of the Emperor and the downfall of the Empire unless he were to personally carry it out. And I don't see how he could possibly survive doing that."
~~~
When he felt the last of the paralyzing agent purge from his system, Obi-Wan slowly returned to his physical body, careful not to alert the Emperor of his return to consciousness. Keeping his head lowered limply to his chest, he slowly gazed around the throne room, gauging the level of readiness of the Emperor and his few guards. Sidious appeared to be studying a terminal screen that was attached to his throne, while the six Imperial Guards stood at a ceremonial attention. Though each of the men's postures appeared to be alert and on-guard, Obi-Wan could see the telltale signs of boredom and inactivity taking their toll.
Moving slowly and loosely, so as to appear that it was a natural movement caused by shifting muscles, Obi-Wan collapsed from his kneeling position on to his side. The Emperor looked up, but after a quick Force probe told him that his new pet was still unresponsive, Sidious returned to his readout. Noting their Master's lack of concern, the guards also swiftly lost interest.
Waiting until he was again assured that he would receive no notice, Obi-Wan surreptitiously began to move his left hand toward the Force-collar encircling his neck. Moving in agonizingly small increments, he carefully felt for the lock that held the device in place. Finding it, he then moved his fingers a few inches to the left of it, searching for the hidden hinges he knew were there. Discovering the barely discernable indentations, he slipped his fingers around the collar. Pausing to make certain that all of his muscles were prepared for the sudden action he would soon ask of them, Obi-Wan rolled his body swiftly, using the torque of the maneuver to add to his own considerable strength. And with a loud crack, the collar split and fell from his neck.
